About

Lada'at – Choose Well was founded in 1976 (under the name "Shilo") to promote healthy sexuality and reproductive rights. We combine sex-positive educational activities, supportive family planning counseling and advocate on behalf of all citizens’ right to achieve full self-determination in decisions related to reproduction and sexuality. Based in Jerusalem, we serve the full range of diverse populations in the city. In the 2018 program year, our 5,000 beneficiaries included both religious and secular Jews, Arabs, African asylum seekers, foreign workers, and tourists.

Vision and Mission

We envision a society in which sexuality is perceived as an inherently positive and integral part of human nature, where all individuals have full access to reliable information and services enabling them to live out their sexuality based on conscious choice. Our mission is to ensure that all individuals are informed and empowered to make and implement conscious, healthy, safe, and authentic choices regarding sexuality and reproductive health.

Activities

Lada’at is the only organization in Jerusalem providing supportive peer-based counseling in areas of sexuality and family planning in Jerusalem. Lada’at’s volunteer counselors serve thousands of diverse clients through a combination of in-person, telephone, email and internet chat counseling, offering individualized information on contraceptives, and support surrounding unplanned pregnancy. We aid our clients to make informed and healthy choices regarding sexuality and reproduction, especially in times of crisis.

Healthy Sexuality Workshops give teens skills for making healthy, responsible decisions about relationships and sexuality, while encouraging them to think critically about gender norms, pornography, and sexuality and body image in media. We reach a range of target audiences, including youth at risk, and teens of Ethiopian or Eastern European descent. Beyond work directly with youth, we also engage educational and psychosocial staff, enabling them to serve as trusted authority figures on topics related to sexuality. In the 2016-2017 school year, we reached approximately 4,500 youth, educators and parents in the greater Jerusalem area through workshops.

Advocacy for policy Change

At Lada’at, we seek to promote the reproductive health and rights of women and girls in Israel by addressing the root causes that result in a lack of reproductive health services and infringement on reproductive rights in Israel. Lada'at achieves this by training medical and psychosocial professionals who provide reproductive health services or support, and by leading public advocacy efforts in order to create attitude change among the general public as well as policy change among decision makers, such as Members of Knesset and HMO administrators.

Board Members

Dr. Shlomit Sholov Barkan – Chairwoman

Michal Barkai-Hadani

Revital Shimoron

Edna Etgar

Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman

Anat Ben Zaken

Dianna Ginzburg

There is so much more to do to realize our mission!

Your contribution would enable us to continue and expand our work as experts and innovators in the field of education for healthy sexuality and reproductive rights.

Donations to "Lada'at – Choose Well" are tax deductible.

US Dollar donations can be made by mailing a check (minimum of $25) made out to PEF Israel Endowment Fund, Inc., with a recommendation for "Lada'at – Choose Well", NGO number 580055911. They can be mailed to PEF Israel Endowment Fund, Inc., 630 Third Ave, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10017 USA.